the pleasure is back: February 2011

2011 Oscar Jewelry: Afterthoughts and After Parties

Heidi Klum in Lorraine Schwartz jewelry and Julien McDonald gown

Who can't get enough Oscar night jewelry gawking? Need a cure for your haute couture hangover? That's what I thought, you diamond-starved looky-loos!

The day after the Oscar jewelry bling-fest always brings with it the realization that A: I missed a few important jewels in my Oscar Night jewelry roundup and B: the after parties are where the real bauble action is (where goes Joan Collins so goes the carat count).

Elton John in Chopard

So here are a few key jewelry after thoughts from the red carpet proper that I didn't inlcude in my Oscar Top Ten list last night - and a host of great celebrity jewelry looks from the Vanity Fair party and Elton John's Chopard-hosted viewing soiree.

AFTER THOUGHTS:

Scarlett Johansson Oscar Jewelry

Loved this statement ring on Scarlett Johansson - an haute couture creation by Anna Hu.

Celine Dion Oscar Jewelry

Love it or hate it, this statement piece from Bulgari made jaws drop in horror and/or amazement.

Cate Blanchett Oscar Jewelry

This lavendar and canary yellow Givenchy number had couture queens crowing and others scratching their heads. I (for one) loved it and couldn't believe she could find jewelry to make the look even better (these yellow diamond earrings are from Van Cleef & Arpels).

VANITY FAIR OSCAR PARTY

What almost upstaged the jewelry gawking at the Vanity Fair Party? The coming out ofThe Biebs and Selena Gomez as an official Hollywood couple! Awwww... Aren't they cute?

From Charlize Theron and Anna Paquin to Taylor Swift and Jessica Biel, the A-list came to Graydon Carter's sandbox in stunning, shimmering jewels.

And Rita Wilson? Less is more, sister.

ELTON JOHN OSCAR VIEWING PARTY HOSTED BY CHOPARD:

NYC staycation

Our staycation in New York last week was really refreshing and relaxing. (Thanks again to Miss Moss for guest posting!) While my mom took care of Toby, Alex and I met up with friends, rode bikes to Williamsburg, went bowling (for real), got massages, sipped gin cocktails at this rad bar, saw The King's Speech, hit up the Guggenheim, and went ice skating in Central Park. It was so great to just be together and "knock around," as Alex says. We felt like tourists in our own city.

We also chilled with my mom and Toby, including brunch at a Mexican place in our neighborhood, where Toby thought the tablecloth was delicious. :) We miss you already, Mama!

God of Love

Yahoo!!! Our friend Luke Matheny's short film God of Love won an Oscar last night! (Well, he's actually a friend of a friend; but we've met him at parties:) I almost fell off the sofa when he got to go up on stage and accept his award.

God of Love is an amazing 18-minute comedy about a lounge-singing darts champ who receives a mysterious package of passion-inducing darts. Here's the trailer, below; you can download it (for $2!) on iTunes or watch it on the big screen at this New York theatre. Huge congratulations, Luke!

2011 Oscar Jewelry Roundup: The Trends & Top Ten from Tinseltown

Oscar jewelry fashion at the 2011 Academy Awards was a smattering of surprises paired with the usual classic diamond deluge. Fasten your seatbelts, jewelry hounds. Here's my glittering recap to the red carpet Super Bowl.

Red-hued frocks with elegant diamond looks were a big trend (Anne Hathaway, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Hudson), along with emerald jewels (Amy Adams, Reese Witherspoon, Annette Bening), knock-out necklaces (Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren), and colorful earrings in surprising silhouettes (Marisa Tomei, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman).

While there was a very real fear that the 'less is more' trend would dominate the night - (Michelle Williams, Mandy Moore and Jennifer Lawrence all opted for minimal jewels - among many others), Oscar always brings out the best in some of our go-to fashion divas.

Here are my top ten looks of the night, but be sure to visit Jewelry.com on Facebook for my complete album with rants and raves capturing all the Oscar looks. And better yet? Check in with JewelClub Monday morning to get all the hot 2011 Oscar jewels at prices that don't need their own body guard.

1. Anne Hathaway Oscar Jewelry

Some might say Tiffany diamonds and a red dress are safe Oscar bets. I say - that's the kind of red carpet fashion we jewelry hounds are looking for (and dare I say) expect from the A-list. And Annie's jewelry looks just kept on coming throughout the show (I'll be tracking down pics and credits for all - so stay tuned!)

2. Nicole Kidman Oscar Jewelry

How can you make a stunning 150-carat Fred Leighton diamond necklace look even more beautiful? Put it on Nicole Kidman and have it DRAPE DOWN HER BACK! Win!

3. Marisa Tomei Oscar Jewelry

Van Cleef & Arpels is responsible for these sapphire, diamond and emerald statement stunners. And her Charles James dress from 1950 almost made Tim Gunn hyperventilate, bless his heart. She's never looked better.

4. Natalie Portman Oscar Jewelry

The sensational Live Twitter Chat gang (some of the best minds in jewelry and fashion participated - click here for more!) were either in LOVE with these Tiffany ruby tassels or thought them to be, um, pedestrian. I love the pomegranate color - not the silhouette so much. It just wasn't the knock-out moment the belle of the Oscar ball needed to bring (a la Gwyneth in Cathy Waterman and Ralph Lauren when she won back in the day).

5. Gwyneth Paltrow Oscar Jewelry

Speaking of G-Pal - only she could pull off this Calvin Klein silvery sensation of a dress paired with these unique Louis Vuitton gemstone (bird?) earrings from their L’Ame du Voyage collection. A bold choice and a big win!

6. Helen Mirren Oscar Jewelry

Dame Mirren reigned over the red carpet in a pearl, diamond and platinum necklace from 1907 and a diamond bracelet from Cartier’s Archive Museum Collection. This woman always looks lovely - although the length of her necklace is a bit long here for my taste.

7. Reese Witherspoon Oscar Jewelry

This year's Angelina Jolie-emerald-earring copycat award goes to...Reese Witherspoon, who looked lovely in 35-carat emerald drops by Neil Lane (her jewelry totaled $1 million). Annette Bening? You come in second place...

8. Jennifer Hudson Oscar Jewelry

Jaws dropped when this dream girl stepped on the red carpet in a 'tangerine/red' Versace number and Neil Lane diamonds. And I am telling you. You don't have to go anywhere, sister.

9. Mandy Moore Oscar Jewelry

The 'less is more' win of the night for me went to this pretty diamond cluster earring on Mandy Moore. The overall look is the perfect example of how to wear jewelry with a sparkly dress. Just lovely.

10. Amy Adams Oscar Jewelry

Such a bold choice to wear navy, no neck line and this Cartier emerald and diamond wrap necklace and a 30.75-carat carved emerald and diamond bracelet-watch worth $1.025 million. Everyone is talking about her jewelry - despite the fact that it belonged with a different ensemble.

Whew! So what do you guys think of my Top Ten Oscar jewels for 2011? Who did I miss? Weigh in - and be sure to double back tomorrow for my 'after party' jewelry gawk-fest. Hoping for an Angelina sighting at the Vanity Fair party. Stay tuned!

(By request, a close-up of Amy Adams' Cartier wrist bling. Wow!)